![]() (For example, stars flash and move, or objects appear and disappear.) HP referred to this functionality as "augmented reality" in my briefing about this product, but it's nothing like Lifeprint's feature of the same name, in which the actual content of the photo changes, or at least appears to. (When I tested the Sprocket Plus in June, my app showed several graduation-themed frames, for example.) When you print these and then scan them with the app, the frame content changes. The app contains a gallery of frames that change frequently according the season. The Sprocket app has changed with the introduction of the Sprocket Plus. These protocols allow you to print much more flexibly and don't restrict you from printing on devices that don't support Bluetooth. A few, such as the Kodak Mini 2 HD Instant Photo Printer ($65.99 at Amazon) (Opens in a new window) and Kodak Photo Printer Mini, support other connection types, including Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct, but the Sprocket Plus does not. You can use the app to load, edit, and enhance photos apply filters and special effects and connect to various social-media and cloud sites, such as Facebook and Google…Īs with most of these little printers, you connect to the app and your smartphone via Bluetooth (in this case, Bluetooth 4.0). As apps for these little photo printers go, the Sprocket app is similar to the interfaces that come with its competitors. HP's Sprocket App works with all three of the company's Sprocket-branded products: the original Sprocket, the Sprocket Plus, and the Sprocket 2-in-1 (Opens in a new window) combination camera/printer. The prints use no ink, but do require special HP paper the print technology is known as Zink, which we'll get to in detail later in this review. Depending on the power-delivery capability of the USB port you use, the battery should take about an hour and a half to charge, according to HP, and should be good for about 30 prints. The unit will charge from just about any smartphone charging adapter (none is included in the box), or from any PC or mobile-device USB port, and it comes with a 12-inch USB cable. The Sprocket Plus is designed to print fully wirelessly, running off an internal battery. You can see the unit here below, up against a typical smartphone (above it) in profile. On the Sprocket Plus, you'll note a printing (or "receiving data") light on the front, just above the slit where photos emerge as they print, and on the right side is a mini USB port for charging, as well as a power status light and the power button. (Opens in a new window) Read Our Kodak Mini 2 HD Instant Photo Printer Reviewīecause all of these devices get their instructions from smartphones and/or tablets, they have no onboard controls to speak of. (The latter model weighs more than twice as much, though.) It's also wider than both the Lifeprint 2x3 and the Lifeprint 3x4.5. It measures 0.7 by 5.6 by 3.5 inches (HWD) and weighs half a pound, which is slightly smaller and lighter than its predecessor, apart from a little extra width to accommodate the larger output. The Sprocket Plus comes in a pair of two-tone color schemes: all red with a silver accent around the edge, or all white with a copper-colored accent. While most of these pocket photo printers, in terms of print quality, speed, and running costs, are near equals, the slightly bigger prints and the new functionality in its app set the Sprocket Plus apart from the pack-enough to elevate it to our latest Editors' Choice for portable photo printers. The Sprocket and Sprocket Plus aren't unique they compete with similar products from Canon, Kodak, Lifeprint, Polaroid, and a few others. ![]() This newer iteration prints 30 percent larger photos (they are 2.3 by 3.4 inches, versus the original's 2 by 3 inches), and the quality is better, too. The HP Sprocket Plus ($149.99) is an update to the HP Sprocket portable photo printer we reviewed late last year.
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